Harmonia
is a Japanese post-apocalyptic visual novel developed by Key, a brand of VisualArt's. It was released on September 23, 2016 for Windows on Steam, and was available in English before its Japanese release on December 29, 2016. Like Key's 2004 game Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet, Harmonia is defined as a "kinetic novel", since its gameplay offers no choices or alternate endings. Instead, the player proceeds through the story solely by reading. Plot Setting and gameplay Harmonia is set in a post-apocalyptic world sometime in the future. A rapid decline in human civilization began once the population hit its peak of 10 billion, caused in part by pollution and war. During this time, artificially intelligent, emotional androids called Phiroids were developed to serve as partners for humans. Although Phiroids were originally powered by batteries for the first two generations, they were afterwards developed to be powered by eating food, making them nearly indistinguishable from humans. Artificial memories could also be implanted into the Phiroids, making them highly desirable, leading to them to be produced in numbers that eventually rivaled the human population at a time when the birth rate was already in decline. Eventually, nuclear warfare and the resulting nuclear fallout killed off most of humanity, resulting in a world covered in dark clouds and ash blocking out sunlight, land stripped of vegetation, and an ocean that could no longer support life. Some people were placed in cryogenic facilities in an attempt to sleep long enough until the environment improved even a little bit. Harmonia is a visual novel in which the player assumes the role of Rei. The gameplay is spent on reading the story's narrative and dialogue and follows a linear plot line; this is what Key refers to as a "kinetic novel". The text in the game is accompanied by character sprites, which represent who Rei is talking to, over background art. Throughout the game, the player encounters CG artwork at certain points in the story, which take the place of the background art and character sprites. Once the game is completed, a gallery of the game's CGs and background music becomes available on the title screen. The story takes place in a town with a stable water source that supports a small population. Frequented locations include the church where Rei and Shiona live, the library where Tipi lives, and the town plaza. The town also has various establishments, including a general store, a photo studio, and a bar. Although most of the town does not have electricity, there is a solar-powered battery in the library. On the outskirts of town, there is a ruined Phiroid factory next to the town dump. Story This is a story from a very, very distant era. The world has suffered from a great war. The contaminated atmosphere is turning ash gray, life on Earth almost came to a stop and water started vanishing. The world population has declined remarkably compared to the Golden Age. The people joined together to live in this world. It was in these times that a "Phiroid", a robot that can feel, woke up in a decayed facility. The fruit of science before the war: a humanoid, feeling robot. They were promised a new partner, one that could make their life easier. However, the awakened Phiroid finds out very quickly that he is emotionless. Perhaps he was not finished during the manufacturing process since his right hand is not covered with artificial skin, his mechanical parts visible. The Phiroid wanted to get closer to humans. He continued to wander through this devastated world, looking for the emotions he was missing. One day, a girl takes him in. She thinks of him as human and kindly looks after him. A little but warm town. The Phiroid boy began learning what feelings are while living together with this girl. Development and release Harmonia is Key's 12th visual novel and second "kinetic novel" after Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet. It was announced in April 2015 to celebrate Key's 15th anniversary, and it was added to Steam Greenlight in October 2015, but suffered from numerous delays. It was released on September 23, 2016 for Windows on Steam, and was available in English before its Japanese release on December 29, 2016. The game is directed by Kai, who also wrote the scenario with Tsuzuru Nakamura. According to VisualArt's sales and marketing division employee Yoshikuni Toyoizumi, the original concept for the game came from a scenario titled Nakamura had submitted to VisualArt's' Kinetic Novel Awards in 2010. Although it did not win an award, VisualArt's president Takahiro Baba felt that it fit Key's outlook for a scenario, so he wanted to make it into a kinetic novel. Baba appointed Kai to be the game's director, and the two of them went to meet with Nakamura in 2014 to discuss the project. The art director and character designer is Itaru Hinoue, which was her last contribution to Key before resigning in September 2016. Music The game's soundtrack was composed by Shinji Orito, Ryō Mizutsuki and Tomohiro Takeshita. The game's theme song is by Ayaka Kitazawa, and the game also features the insert song by Haruka Shimotsuki. A single containing both songs was released on April 11, 2015 by Key Sounds Label. All lyrics written are by Kai. External Links * Official Website (Japanese) Category:Browse